In Ireland, the University of Limerick is leading an EU-funded project called DEMA (‘Direct Ethanol from MicroAlgae’) aiming to produce biofuels from cyanobacteria for just 53 cents per liter. The project will use metabolic engineering so that the algae secrete ethanol directly, and then will filter it through a membrane. The project was launched last […]
In the Netherlands, introducing four genes from bacteria and spinach has enabled researchers at the Delft University of Technology to improve the production of bioethanol with yeast by using carbon dioxide. Their findings were published last week in the Biotechnology for Biofuels journal.
In Ohio, University of Cincinnati researchers are looking into using waste coffee grounds as a biofuel feedstock. These waste coffee grounds could be used to purify crude biodiesel derived from coffee oils. While the grounds are ideal because they eliminate usage of edible oils and reduce the cost of the feedstocks, but are difficult to […]
In Indiana, the American Chemical Society held a conference this week in Indianapolis focused on the health aspects of biofuel production and use. Research papers presented included topics such as new evidence that emissions from biodiesel vehicles are less mutagenic than those from petroleum-based diesel, research on the toxicity of conventional diesel and traditional diesel, […]
In Ohio, researchers from the University of Cincinnati have developed a method to produce biodiesel from the oils extracted from used coffee grounds. After the extraction process, the coffee grounds are again dried and used to filter the biodiesel produced from its own oils. Future research will focus on improving the efficiency of the filtering […]
In China, the Bureau of Energy, MOEA has been funding long-term R&D on biofuel, and new biofuel technology has successfully been developed. The project, entitled “Carbon loss-free cellulose butanol production technology” won the 2013 R&D 100 Awards. This technology has the potential to have significant influence on biofuel research and industries around the world.
In Tennessee, a biodiesel contamination detector has been developed by researchers at the University of Tennessee to protect jet fuel engines from operational issues and flameout if biodiesel contamination levels are too high. At high levels, biodiesel can impact thermal stability and the freezing point of jet fuel. The detector is field-ready and portable, and […]
In Florida, researchers at the University of Florida are studying how nitrogen starvation stress induces lipid accumulation in green algae, also called chlorella.Their findings, described online this month in the journal Planta, show that lipid accumulation in algal cells begins just hours after they are starved of nitrogen – not days, as scientists previously believed. They […]
In South Carolina, researchers at Clemson University are studying how to free up the carbohydrates in switchgrass and waste paper. The work involves identifying the right bacteria and fungi and the right enzymes that will break down the carbohydrates and xylans to release plant sugars. The research aims to reduce the expense of making ethanol […]
In Washington, Ethanol Across America released a new white paper authored by the Chair of the Technical Committee for the Urban Air Initiative that says that mid-level ethanol blends can provide far better environmental and health benefits than those currently modeled by the EPA. The paper attacks claims made by the EPA that E30 is […]
